Well, I live in the South Padre Island area (1/2 mile from the end of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway). You can certainly cover that distance in 6 days, but you aren't going to see much. If your goal is to "check it off," you can do it in less time than that... another Brat did that, then rented a car in this area (we drove them 50 miles to a rental car office) to go back and get their trailer.
Timing will have a lot to do with it. We are just coming off a norther: winds to 50 mph and temperatures that got down as low as 39º. Miserable water conditions on the water, and (of course) all kinds of mariner advisories (including near shore waves of 10 to 18 feet). That is not the norm, but it can happen at any time during the winter months (December through February). Or, it might be in the 70s, sunshine, and just lovely. Last week, our water temp was 74º; today, it was 58º, thanks to days of cold and north wind.
Prevailing winds are S to SE... until a norther blows in. Keep that in mind for your route/direction planning.
If you have cruising guides, you have discovered that there isn't alot along much of the Texas Gulf Coast. A darn shame. The southern part of that route is near our home - we moved here because of the great climate and water access. This area doesn't get a lot of cruisers because... well, there isn't a lot between Houston and the Rockport area, and then again from south of Corpus Christi to the South Padre Island/Port Isabel area.
If I only had 6 days (exclusive of running back and forth to get a trailer), I would pick one area to explore. The Rockport/Port Aransas/Corpus Christi area has the best cruising per mile than anywhere else along the Texas coast. You could easily keep yourself entertained for 6 days and not have to drive 400+ miles to retrieve your truck and trailer. The South Padre Island/Port Isabel has the best weather... again, read the second paragraph above regarding potential winter weather. No guarantees, even looking at 3 day forecasts. Today, it was supposed to be 70º and sunny here... it turned out to be solid overcast, upper 50s, occasional drizzle, and the forecast SE wind remained light, but came out of the NE. We took our daughter and son-in-law dolphin watching and were wearing coats. An hour after we got back (mid-afternoon), the sun came out. Timing.
Much of the Texas Gulf Coast ICW is either in shallow bays or land-cut through ranch land. I would not describe it as "scenic." Not to diss these waters - just trying to be as forthright about it as possible. I particularly enjoy day-tripping in our local waters, but have no desire to run the coast again. If you have any consideration of running in the Gulf for that stretch, I will strongly try to dissuade that with a C-Dory this time of year... if the weather turns snotty, there are few places to get back in, and they are far apart. Thus, the reason we don't see many cruisers this far south. That said, you could have 6 of the most beautiful weather days with clear blue sky. In the words of the philosopher Dirty Harry, "Do you feel lucky?" :wink:
Since we don't know each other, my wife and I have cruised boats on both coasts (well, all three with the Gulf), and run a C-Dory from coast to coast to coast. We aren't ones to shy away from a good cruise, if the benefit is worth it. When we first got our C-Dory, we left this area to cruise in the Florida Keys and southern Florida for the winter months... because there are so many great places to go... see... anchor.
I truly hope that you understand I am not being negative, simply trying to be realistic. I love Texas. We moved here from the frozen northland, and have some wonderful water at the very southern tip of the state. We have owned a place here for going on 20 years, so I've had the opportunity to see the waters here during every season. Texas is a big state; distances between populated areas (and civilization like marinas, food, and fuel) can be lengthy.
Good luck with the planning. Drop me a note if you want to discuss any of this.
Best wishes,
Jim
